The instant invention relates to the art of polymer chemistry and most particularly to the art of making polyarylether polymers.
Polyarylethers, such as polyether ether ketone and polyaromatic ether sulfones, are a well-known class of thermoplastic polymers with good strength and solvent resistance and high continuous use temperatures. Such polymers and their uses have been reported in several patents, such as Robinson et al., Capacitor with a Polyarylene Polyether Dielectric, U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,536 (Aug. 2, 1966); Blinne et al., Aromatic Polyether Sulfones, U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,437 (Dec. 2, 1977); Marvel et al., Polyaromatic Ether-Keto-Sulfones and Their Synthesis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,937 (Feb. 2, 1981) and Harsting, Cookware Made From Polyarylethersulfone, U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,168 (Mar. 5, 1985).
Polyarylethers have been prepared by Friedel-Crafts reaction of an acyl halide with an aromatic ether. See Marvel et al., supra; Attwood et al., "Synthesis and Properties of Polyaryl Ether Ketones", 20 POLYMER PREP.AM. CHEM. SOC. 191 (1979). Such methods are inefficient because the polymer traps substantial amounts of catalyst, such as aluminum chloride, which must be removed to prevent cross-linking of the polymer. Furthermore, as solvent many such reactions rely upon anhydrous hydrofluoric acid, which is particularly treacherous to work with.
Polyarylethers have also been prepared by displacement of halide from an aromatic dihalide by a metal salt of an aromatic diol. Attwood et al., "Synthesis and Properties of Polyarylether Ketones", 22 POLYMER 1096 (1981). That process contaminates the polymer with large amounts of difficult-to-remove metal halide salts and relies upon expensive diphenyl sulfone as a solvent. A similar process has been reported using the reaction of an aromatic dihalide with an aryl bis(trimethylsiloxy) compound. Bier, Process for the Production of Aromatic Ethers and Aromatic Polyethers, U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,932 (Oct. 2, 1984).
What is needed is a process to make polyarylethers which produces only volatile coproducts and which requires no dangerous or expensive solvents.